Roll-fed rod severing machine



March 1, 1966 F Q MUNTWYLER 3,237,829

ROLL-FED ROD SEVERING MACHINE Filed April 29, 1964 3 Sheets Sheet lMarch 1, 1966 F. c. MUNTWYLER 3,237,829

ROLL-FED ROD SEVERIN@ MACHINE Filed April 29, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2INVEN-roa FREDRIC C NuN'rwYLER AT1-Ys.

March 1, 1966 F. c. MUNTWYLER 3,237,829

ROLL-FED ROD SEVERING MACHINE Filed April 29, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 -7|2 /J/-64 1/ //y /x i E 45 ,09 r11- Elm i. i 106 Q 1 43 O 4 4I INvsN-roeFecomc C. Mufvrwnsa ATTYS.

United States Patent O 3,237,829 ROLL-FED ROD SEVERING MACHINE Fredi-icC. Muntwyler, Palos Park, Ill., assignor to Wire Machinery,Incorporated, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 29,1964, Ser. No. 363,511 3 Claims. (Cl. 22S- 103) The present inventionrelates to a machine for straightening, measuring and cutting metal rodor wire fed from a bulk roll and more particularly to a iying sheararrangement for use in a machine of this type.

In the warehousing of steel it has been customary for the distributor tostock metal rod in a large number of standard lengths and diameters. Thedesirability has been recognized of iilling orders on a custom basisusing stock fed from a roil and with the stock being straightened,measured and cut to desired length automatically, but machines foraccomplishing this have been expensive and have suffered from a numberof diiiiculties preventing widespread usage.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a rodstraightening and cutting machine including a novel ying shear capableof cutting continuously moving, straightened stock into predeterminedlengths on a custom basis. It is a related object of the presentinvention to provide a straightening and cutting arrangement for rods orthe like which is capable of operating at a rate of speed equal to orhigher than prior machines but which is nevertheless accurate andconsistent so that an entire order of several hundreds, or thousands, ofpieces may be cut to the same length automatically within closetolerances.

Finally, it is an object to provide a straightening and cutting machinehaving a tlying shear mechanism in which the mechanical movements areprecisely coordinated and which cannot get out of phase adjustment evenover extended periods of use, which is inherently strong and durable,which is relatively simple and inexpensive, and which avoids the drivecomplications of more conventional cutters of the flying shear type.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponreading the attached detailed description and upon reference to thedrawings in which:

FIGURE l is a front elevation, with the right hand portion thereofforeshortened, of a straightening and cutting machine utilizing thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section taken through the shear portion of themachine of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is a transverse section taken along the line 3 3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the flying shear looking along the line 4 4 ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the elliptical path of the cutter and therelation thereof to the rod being cut.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferredembodiment, it will be understood that the invention is not necessarilylimited to the embodiment shown but, on the contrary, it is intended tocover the various alternative and equivalent constructions includedwithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Turning to FIG. 1, there is shown a straightening and cutting machine 10constructed in accordance with the invention capable of acting upon arod W fed from a bulk supply roll. It will be understood that the stockreceived from the mill, while held within close diameter tolerance, isnevertheless irregularly bent, requiring precise straightening beforebeing sold in the form or" rods or bars. The incoming stock thus passesthrough a guide 11 into a 3,237,829 Patented Mar. 1, 1966 icepre-straightener 12 having a plurality of grooved rollers 13 whichoverlap to define a sinuous path. The partially straightened rod thenpasses through a drive unit 14 having feed rolls 15 which propel the rodinto a spinnertype straightener 16. The latter, which is shown onlydiagrammatically, includes a set of straightening rollers similar tothose shown in 13 but with the roller assembly being rotatable about therod axis to effect straightening in all planes. The rod then passes intoa pair of drive mechanisms 17 having feed rollers 18. Thenowstraightened rod is fed to a iiying shear indicated at S and throughwhich the rod is fed onto a runout table 20 having an upper or measuringrack 21 and a lower or storage rack 22. Adjustably positioned along themeasuring rack 21 is a limit switch 23 which, upon engagement by theadvancing rod, triggers the operation of the iiying shear. As willbecome apparent as the discussion proceeds, upon completion of thecutting stroke the ying shear serves to trigger a release mechanismindicated at 25 so that the severed rod is promptly deposited in thestorage rack 22. For the purpose of powering the feed -mechanisms 1447,a constant speed drive is provided including a motor 30, with the driveconnections being indicated diagrammatically at 31.

With the overall construction of the straightening and cutting machinein mind, attention may be given to the flying shear S and its associatedmechanism as illustrated in the remainder of the iigures. The flyingshear mechanism is mounted on a frame having a top surface or table 41and side walls 42 forming a rigid box-like enclosure. Supported on thesurface 41 is a mounting plate 43 mounting a pair of way members 44, 45in which the ying shear head is horizontally movable. The shear head,indicated at 50, is in the form of a casting or forging having a frontsurface 51, bottom or way surfaces 52, triangularly shaped reinforcingwalls 53, and a depending clevis connection 54. For leading in the rodand for holding it against the action of the cutter is a cutoff or guidebushing having a mouth 56 which tapers down to a discharge orifice 57which corresponds to the diameter of the rod and which serves as acutting anvil. The bushing is removably secured by a clamp 58.

Mounted in the shear head Si) for vertical sliding movement is a cutterSlide, or yoke, 60 slidable in vertical ways 61, 62 (see FIG. 4) havinga lower end 63 in the form of a clevis and having a central opening 64.Mounted in the cutter slide 60 is a cutter or cutoff knife 70 having asemi-circular shearing edge 71 at its lower end and adjustably mountedin a recess 72 formed in the back surface of the slide. To hold thecutter in place a clamping bolt 73 is provided which extends through aclearance slot 74 permitting adjustment of the depth of cut. As will beapparent from the discussion which follows, the cutter edge need notpass through the entire cross section of the rod. Depending upon thehardness of the rod a penetration of 50% or less will normally sufce.

In accordance with the present invention, cranks are provided side byside on the same crankshaft for simultaneously reciprocating the head 50of the shear in the horizontal direction while reciprocating the cutterslide in the vertical direction so that the cutting edge describes aiiattened elliptical path and with the cutter being so mounted withrespect to the guide which conducts the rod that the rod is engaged, forsynchronous movement, only during the central portion of the lowersegment of the ellipse. Thus, referring to FIG. 3, I provide acrankshaft having stationary bearings 81, 82, 83 anda central crank oflimited throw flanked by cranks S6, 87 of greater throw. Cooperatingwith the crank 35 is a connecting rod 90 having a sleeve coupling 91 andthreaded length adjustment 92. The upper end of the connecting rod ispivotally connected to the clevis at the lower end of the cutter slideby means of a wrist pin 93. T o produce the coordinated horizontalmovement of the head, the cranks 86, 87 are connected to laterallyextending connecting rods, the outer ends of which are guided forgenerally horizontal movement and which are, in turn, coupled to a linkwhich extends generally horizontally, in a folded back relation, fordriving engagement with the head. In the present instance I employconnecting rods 101, 102 having sleeve couplings 103, 104 encircling thecranks 86, 87 respectively. The connecting rods are connected at theiralined outer ends to a pin 105 supported by a drop or guide link 106.The latter is made up of a pair of spaced arms 107 which are rigidlysecured to a hinge member 108 mounted on a horizontally extending hingepin 109, the pin being secured, as shown, to the underside of the topmember 41 of the frame.

For the purpose of coupling together the connecting rods 101, 102 andthe shear head, a link 110 is provided having an end member 111 which ispositioned between the two arms 107 of the drop link and which carries apin 113 at its forward end to provide a pivoted connection with theclevis 54 on the underside of the shear head. A threaded connection 115permits adjustment of the effective length of the link 110.

In practicing the invention the throw of the crank 85 may be, as shownat 85a in FIG. 2, on the order of 1%, and the throw of the cranks 86, 87may be, as indicated at 86a, 87a, on the order of 3". The direction ofthrow, i.e., the phasing of the cranks is such as to produce movement ofthe cutter along the locus of a horizontally elongated ellipse. This isaccomplished in the present construction by making the throws of thecranks substantially in phase with one another, causing the cutting edgeto follow the elliptical path E.

Prior to discussing the significance of the elliptical path and itsrelation to the diameter and feed rate of' the rod being measured andcut, reference may be made to the mechanism employed for driving thecrankshaft 80. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a drive motor 120 is providedhaving a drive sheave 121 engaging a plurality of V belts 122 which aretrained about a flywheel 123. The ywheel is mounted for rotation aboutthe shaft 80 on bearings 124 and a single revolution clutch 125 isprovided for coupling the flywheel to the end of the shaft. The singlerevolution clutch does not per se form a part of the present inventionand it will suice to say that the clutch is of the type commonlyemployed in punch presses or the like to produce a single revolution orstroke of movement. An example of such a single revolution clutch isthat produced by the Wichita Clutch Company, Inc., of Vlichita Falls,Texas, Model ATD-214. I=t will be apparent that with the clutch servingto lock the flywheel to the shaft during one revolution, the energystored in the flywheel is effectively added to the energy from the drivemotor to augment the torque which is applied to the crankshaft. For thepurpose of bringing the crankshaft to a stop at the end of the singlerevolution, a brake is provided consisting of a brake drum 126, shoes127 and a suitable actuator 128. The brake is also of the typeconventionally employed in power presses and it may, for example, be ofthe type manufactured by Johnson Machine and Press Corp., of South Bend,Indiana, Model 282-150. The clutch and brake are related in the usualway, i.e., when the clutch is engaged the brake is olf and vice Versa.

In accordance with one of the aspects of the present invention, themotor which drives the crankshaft is separate from the motor 30 whichdrives the feed rolls in order to permit minor variations in the speedof the cutter head and cutter with respect to the peripheral speed ofthe feed rolls. To this end I provide for the drive motor 120 a speedcontrol generally indicated at 130 having a setting knob 131 and of thetype in which the speed,

once set, is maintained within close limits. The reason that this hasbeen found desirable is that the feed of the rod may vary depending uponrod diameter and other factors for a given nominal speed of the feedrolls and the separate control enables the speed of the head withrespect to the feed rolls to be optimized for a given set of operatingconditions.

The advantages of the above construction will be apparent uponconsidering a typical cycle of operation and particularly upon referenceto FIG. 6 which shows the relation between the ellipitical path E of thecutter edge and the rod W, a rod of about midway in the diameter rangeof the machine, being taken by way of example. It will be assumed, atthe outset, that the connecting rods are at the region of maximum righthand throw corresponding to a reference position 141 of the edge of thecutter. Thus the shear head 50 is in its extreme right hand position andthe cutter is at approximately the middle of its downward stroke butwell clear of the rod W. Upon rotation of the crankshaft in theclockwise direction as Viewed in FIG. 2, the cutter is moved downwardlytoward the rod and, simultaneously, the head is accelerated to the feedrate of the rod. The cutter is so adjusted with respect to the rod guide55, by means of clamping bolt 73, that engagement between the cutter andthe rod occurs only during the central portion of the lower segment ofthe ellipse, i.e., after the head has accelerated to the speed of therod, and with disengagement taking place prior to the time thatdeceleration of the head occurs at the end of the stroke. Thus thecutter enters the rod at a point 142. Because of the horizontallyelongated locus of the ellipse E, the penetration P forms only a smallfraction of the total distance of cutting travel indicated at D. Itfollows from this that the horizontal component of velocity of thecutter is substantially constant over the cutting distance D andsubstantially equal to the velocity of the cutter along the lowersegment of its elliptical path. The cutter is Vthus moved along with theadvancing rod in precise synchronism with it, tending neither to impedethe rod or to rush ahead if it. Not only does this produce a cleancutting stroke fully the equivalent of that which would occur if thecutter and rod were horizontally stationary, but it insures that the actof cutting does not affect the accuracy of automatic measurement of rodlength. As the cutter approaches the point 143 of maximum penetrationsevering is completed and the severed end of the rod is temporarilysupported on the upper rack 21 of the runout table.

The cutter continues to move horizontally with the incoming rod until itclears the rod at point 144. Deceleration of the head occurs between thepoint 144 and the point of extreme forward movement of the head 145. Asthe head approaches the maximum forward position a cam C thereon servesto trigger a cam follower OF thereby to trigger releasing movement ofthe mechanism 25 for depositing of the severed rod upon the storage rack22.

After the head reaches its forward extreme, continued rotation of thecamshaft causes the head to be retraoted and the cut-ter edge to fbewithdrawn upwardly, producing a resultant cutter movement along theupper segment 146 of the ellipse. Means responsive to the phase positionof the crankshaft and forming a part of the conventional clutch controlare provided for applying the brake and for disengaging the clutch sothat the mechanism comes .to rest with the cutter edge in the startingposition 141 in readiness Afor a successive cutting cycle. Such acutting cycle is initiated by the engagement of the leading edge of ftherod with the limit switch 23 resulting in the severing of anothersection of rod of desired length. The machine is thus capable of runningautomatically with little care or attention on the part of the operatoruntil the desired number of pieces have been deposited in the storagerack.

While the means for guiding the ends of the connecting rod 101, 102 is,in the present construction, in the form of a drop link, which for-msthe preferred construction, it will be apparent to one skilled in theart that a cross head or slide may be substituted without departing fromthe present invention. l-t Will also be apparent to one skilled in theart tha-t the use of a double connecting rod '101, 102 reduces theconcentration of stress in the crankshaft enabling a crankshaft oflighter construction to be used than would otherwise be possible andenabling the reaction force to be applied immediately adjacent to, anddivided between, the stationary bearings 82, S3.

Most important of all, however, is the fact that the horizontal andvertical components of movement of the cutting edge are preciselycoordinated so that there is no possibility of the components departingfrom their precise phase relation. Thus even though a slight amount ofslowing down in the crankshaft may occur during the cutting stroke byreason of subtracting some of the energy from the ywvheel, suchdeceleration occurs proportionately in the two components of cuttermovement so that the elliptical path remains precisely the same at allshaft speeds and independently of the rod size or degree of loadinginterposed upon the cutter. Moreover, since the speed of the drive motor120 is automatically controlled, any tendency for the crankshaft todecelerate is immediately compensated by a momentary increase of powerinput to the motor so that the head does not slow down to an appreciableexten-t, i.e., enough to have any substantial accelerating ordecelerating effect upon the rod itself. It is found in practice usingthe above scheme that a smaller rated drive motor may be employed thanis required for iiying shears of equivalent capacity but of conventionaldesign. A practical bene-lit inherent in the present design is that theconstruction, in spite of its operating advantages, is simple andinexpensive and consequently may be manufactured and sold at reducedcost. The device may be used for straightening and cutting rod ofnon-circular cross section if the guide 55 is replaced with one havingan opening of matching cross section and if the spinning device 16 isomitted. Moreover, the limit switch 23 may be replaced with a mechanicaltype trip capable of operating the main drive clutch if desired andwithout departing lfrom the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a flying shear for cutting a rod in forward motion the combinationcomprising a frame, means for feeding a rod at predetermined speed, ashear head having a cutter vertically movable therein and a cooperatingguide serving as an anvil, means on said frame for mounting the shearhead for horizontal movement, a first crank having a vertically arrangedconnecting -rod and pivotally connected at its upper end to the cutterfor reciprocating the same, a second crank having a laterally eX-tending connecting rod together with means for guiding the end of therod for horizontal reciprocating movement, a generally horizontal linkcoupled at one end to the end of the laterally extending connecting rodand at the opposite end to the shear head for horizontally reciprocatingthe latter, a crankshaft having driving means including a flywheel andsingle-revolution clutch, said cranks being arranged side by side on thecrankshaft and substantially in phase with one another so that thecutter follows the locus of an horizontally elongated ellipse with theguide being so spaced with respect to the cutter that the cutter isengaged with the rod only 6 during the central portion of the lowersegment of the ellipse.

2. lIn a flying shear for cutting a rod in forward 4m0- tion thecombination comprising a frame of hollow construction having asupporting surface, a shear head guided for horizontal movement alongthe surface, a horizontal rod guide in the head, means for feeding a rodat predetermined transport speed into the guide, a cutter guided forvertical movement in the head for shearing the rod at the end of theguide, said cutter and said head each having a drive connectionextending through the supporting surface, a crankshaft journaled in `theframe and extending transversely there-in, said crankshaft having afirst crank and vertically extending connecting rod connected to thedrive connection on said cutter, a second crank on the crankshaftlocated immediately adjacent the first crank and having a laterallyextending connecting rod together with means for guiding the end of therod for horizontal reciprocating movement, a generally horizontal linkcoupled at one end to rthe end of the laterally extending connecting rodIand at the opposite end to the drive connection of the shear head forhorizontally reciprocating the latter, said oran-k- =shaft having adrive motor land single revolution clutch for coupling the motor to theshaft, the throw of the first crank being substantially less than thethrow of the second crank so that the cutter follows the path of anhorizontally elongated ellipse and ywith the guide being so spaced withrespect to the cutter that the cutter is engaged with the rod onlyduring the central portion of the lower segment of the ellipse.

3. `In a rod straightening, measuring and cutting machine, thecombina-tion comprising a frame, a set of vfeed rollers on said framehaving means for rotating the saine at constant vspeed for constantspeed advancement of the rod, a shear head, means for guiding the headfor longitudinal movement on the frame and having a drive connection onthe underside thereof, said shear head having a cutter verticallymovable therein and having a cut-ter drive connection at the lower endthereof, said shear head having a guide for the rod serving to positionthe rod for the act-ion of the cutter, a crankshaft journaled in .theframe having a l'irst crank thereon, a vertically arranged connectingrod for connecting the first crank to the cutter drive connection, saidcran-kshaft having a second crank located immediately adjacent to thefirst crank, a guide link on the frame laterally spaced from the sec-ondcrank, a laterally extending connecting rod for connecting the secondcrank and the guide link, a generally horizontal drive link connectedbetween the guide l-ink and the drive connection on the shear head forhorizontally reciprocating the latter, said crankshaft having drivingmeans including an adjustable speed motor flywheel and single revolutionclutch, the first crank having a throw and phasing so rel-ated to thatof the second crank that the edge of the cutter is constrained to followthe locus of an horizontally elongated ellipse with the guide being sospaced with respect to the cutter that the cut-ter is enga-ged with therod only during the central portion of the lower segment of the ellipse.

References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 7/ 1954 Netherlands.

ANDREW R. J'UHASZ, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A FLYING SHEAR FOR CUTTING A ROD IN FORWARD MOTION THE COMBINATIONCOMPRISING A FRAME, MEANS FOR FEEDING A ROD AT PREDETERMINED SPEED, ASHEAR HEAD HAVING A CUTTER VERTICALLY MOVABLE THEREIN AND A COOPERATINGGUIDE SERVING AS AN ANVIL, MEANS ON SAID FRAME FOR MOUNTING THE SHEARHEAD FOR HORIZONTALLY MOVEMENT, A FIRST CRANK HAVING A VERTICALLYARRANGED CONNECTING ROD AND PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ITS UPPER END TO THECUTTER FOR RECIPROCATING THE SAME, A SECOND CRANK HAVING LATERALLYEXTENDING CONNECTING ROD TOGETHER WITH MEANS FOR GUIDING THE END OF THEROD FOR HORIZONTALLY RECIPRCATING MOVEMENT, A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL LINKCOUPLED AT ONE END TO THE END OF THE LATERALLY EXTENDING CONNECTING RODAND AT THE OPPOSITE END TO THE SHEAR FOR HORIZONTALLY RE-